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Post by belated valentine on Jan 9, 2016 0:44:40 GMT -5
Suyin watched him pack things into a bag and she was slightly confused. Were they leaving? She looked back at the room where Smellerbee and Longshot were asleep. There was no way they were leaving if the two of them weren’t coming. He was also bringing his weapons, she noticed. But then again, he did bring them everywhere. Probably even to the bathroom.
As they headed out and out of the village, she was a little creeped out. “Did you bring me here to harvest my organs or something cause this is really weird…” she said with a pause, looking at him. He continued walking and she hesitated for a second but then eventually she followed. In her head she wondered what the hell was going on.
“You mean just...do it? I can just do it here?” she asked, standing in the middle of the opening. He was completely serious. A smile rose to her face. It had been awhile since she’d got to firebend - aside from lighting the campfire ever so often.
She held out her hand and let a small fire start. As she moved her fingers, the little flame danced around. “What are you going to do?” she asked curiously.
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Post by Fateful on Jan 9, 2016 0:55:49 GMT -5
Suyin still doubted him, which wasn't all that surprising given what they had been through together, what they had done to one another. When he made his intentions clear, she smiled at him and she looked excited to practice her bending. Sooner or later, he was going to have to get used to this: to her fire, to her being a fire bender. Things were going well so far.
Jet sat on the ground and grabbed some water. He poured some water in a bowl and dipped the wet stone into it. Then, he ran it over his blade. "I'm gonna do what I do best." He stated as he started to sharpen the outside blade. "Protect you." He said with a smirk as he looked down at the blades and continued his work. This was more about her than anything else, but he couldn't just stare at her. Being idle bothered him, he needed something to do with his hands. Therefore, he figured sharpening his swords was a good medium, as he wouldn't stare at her.
And, part of him wanted to watch her. Whenever he heard the sound of flames, he glanced her, a little more anxious than he wanted to be.
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Post by belated valentine on Jan 9, 2016 1:56:10 GMT -5
Suyin was excited to be able to move freely, to produce fire without limits. There was so much that she wanted to get out. She felt like she could go on for days.
Sweat had started to build up on her forehead and she stopped for a second, reached around for something to tie her hair with. The strands that couldn’t be pulled back hung out, framing her face. Suyin took a mental note to try and trim her hair later so it wasn’t in her face so much.
She continued firebending, practicing different moves and combinations of them. From the corner of her eye she could see him sharpening his blade, but she could also see him stop every so often to look at her. A slight anxious look plagued his face. She reached up, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. “You okay?” she asked, breathing heavy as she headed toward him.
Suyin knelt down in front of him. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to light the forest on fire or something,” she said with a small smile. “Hey, give me your hand for a second.” She reached out, taking it. In her own hand she made a small flame, and with the hand that held his, she moved his hand over the top of the flame, letting his fingers graze it ever so slightly. “See, it’s okay. I know it’s more so the way it’s used and so much the fire itself that makes you nervous, but I promise to never use this in the wrong way again.”
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Post by Fateful on Jan 9, 2016 2:17:01 GMT -5
The way she moved was strangely calming. He wouldn't have bothered to look at her if she was just training. It was the fire that set him on edge. It was a weakness he wanted to overcome and he knew that she was the key to that. In time anyway. She seemed to notice him watching her as he noticed her sweating, the way she tied her hair. Smellerbee could cut hair, and so could he, but she probably wouldn't trust him with something like that. Most girls were crazy about their hair. Except Smellerbee. He was there when she cut off her braid and threw it into the fire to show her dedication to the freedom fighters and her mourning what she had lost.
When she asked for his hand, he gave it to her without hesitation, but his muscles physically tensed when she lit a fire in her palm. He didn't pull back, but he changed the way he was standing, so he could push her away if she tried to burn him. Fire made him nervous and it almost seemed to show in his eyes. He didn't strike at her and he waited, wanting to see what she would do, wait and let her do what she chose. After all, he could likely hurt her if given the slightest opportunity. There was a time when each time he saw flames he would see the village burning. He would see death. something about that twisted inside of him and drove him mad. Thankfully, this no longer happened to him. He could stare straight into the flames and feel no fear. He no longer smelled burning corpses, smelled sulfur in the rain, heard the screams of those who were burning.
His fingers moved through the flame and he felt the heat of the fire, but nothing else It left no mark, no burn. He was unhurt. So he sighed, almost in relief and nodded. "Very well." He finally stated, feeling much more at ease. "I can see that you can change the way fire can be used." He mumbled softly. He then ran his hands through the flames on his own, as if wanting to experience the way it felt on his skin. He closed hand after the second pass and looked visibly better, more comfortable. "Thank you."
Moving away from her, he grabbed one of his twin hook swords, the one he had sharpened and offered it to her. "Only fair, right?"
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Post by belated valentine on Jan 9, 2016 2:42:05 GMT -5
She could tell by his face that he was nervous. To be honest, it made her feel a bit bad. In the short period of time that she’d known him, Suyin had never seen him really show any fear. She had the feeling that he was good at hiding it and that he did it to keep things under control. As a leader should.
Suyin watched as he went on his own to mess with the fire. She let his hand go and smiled. He looked much more calm now. When he handed one of his swords her way, she took it without really thinking about it. “Oh, it’s heavier than I thought,” she said, hand dropping a few inches. She automatically had assumed they weren’t heavy because they were thinner and he had two of them, but she also knew very little about knives and swords so there was that.
It really was beautifully designed though and looked very authentic, like it was meant to hang up on a wall. It probably was a weapon that sold for much. She could tell he’d kept them good shape. “Where did you get these, by the way?” she asked, still eyeing the weapons.
The blades shined in the sunlight and her curiosity got the better of her. With her pointer finger, she touched the blade, running it down the side of the blade but her finger slipped a bit and she ended up snagging it a bit on the sharp edge. A drop of blood ran down her finger. She gave her finger a shake, the pain fading quickly. “That was dumb of me,” she admitted, embarrassed.
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Post by Fateful on Jan 9, 2016 2:58:39 GMT -5
Touching her fire did wonders to ease his mind. So he felt far more comfortable around her now. Fire didn't always burn. Granted, she was controlling it, and she didn't want him dead, at least for now. He allowed her to hold the blade and watched her arm slip as she lifted it.
At the mention of their weight, he let out a small chuckle. "Yeah, I know. When I got them, I could barely carry the two of them that once. They're heavier than most weapons, but they're stronger. I've never had an issue with the blades breaking to chipping. They're old weapons." He glanced toward the other blade, which was not as sharp as this one.
The story of where he had gotten them was a long one, one that bothered him, to some extent. So he thought this over for a few moments. "They were left to me." He finally answered. It seemed as if that would be all he said before he added. "After my parents died, I wandered for a while, looking for food. I met an older boy named Jin, these swords were his father's, and his grandfather's before his, for so many generations he wasn't sure. When he was dying, he told me that he would no longer be able to protect me, that I'd have to protect myself. I wanted to protect others the way he protected me. I found Smellerbee two weeks later."
When he cut her finger, he watched the blood drip and then her shake her hand. "Idiot." He said, taking her wrist. "Guess my tiger hook swords want to destroy fire benders more than I do."
With her wrist in hand, he looked over the cut on her finger. "Well, I guess I should get on digging your grave. There's no way in hell you'll recover from this." He teased, almost amused that she would do something so foolish as to run her finger over a blade he had just sharpened. He had yet to sharpen the knives on the sides, so she was safe for now, he supposed. She couldn't really hurt herself that badly. Note for next time though, don't give her any real weapons.
He made sure that her finger stopped bleeding. "Do you want to learn how to sharpen a blade? You know, since it's pretty clear it's not safe for you to wield them or anything? Or you can go back to your fire bending... This is really the only time of day you can do this. I'll want to um... get moving today. I don't want to spend a long time here. If we get hit by rains, it'll take us a week to get home from here, and the weather will be awful. Our ability to find food will be severely compromised as well."
Suyin hated rain. He didn't intend to scare her, but he needed her to be prepared for the rain that would come.
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Post by belated valentine on Jan 9, 2016 4:03:22 GMT -5
After feeling the weight of the weapon, Suyin was actually surprised that he could carry them both around for long periods of time without getting tired. But then again, after doing it for years he most likely built up the endurance and ability to do so. "Sounds like he inspired you," she said, looking down at the sword that was now resting on her lap.
She gave an eye roll. "Oh haha, you're so funny," she grumbled. "Bring a girl out to a creepy forest and then make fun of her." The blood stopped rather quickly. She watched his face as he examined her finger.
When he asked if she wanted to help sharpen the blades, she gave a nod, slightly excited. "Yeah, sure. I guess I can learn. And it was just a little cut! I bet you've cut yourself a lot on it when you were learning to use them." She tried to picture a smaller Jet lugging around the swords and she almost laughed. She moved, handing the sharpened sword back to him so that she could move to sit beside him.
When he got onto the topic of leaving, she felt a hint of sadness. This place was actually really nice and she wouldn't mind staying for awhile, but she did know they had priorities and she didn't want to get caught in the rain. She felt pretty useless whenever it rained, like a wet candle. "When do you think we should leave?" she asked, wondering what time of the day was best. Maybe the night, because it was easier to stay hidden. "Are we close to the freedom fighters? I heard that guy say that the forest of the Jet is nearby, is that your forest?" she asked curiously.
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Post by Fateful on Jan 9, 2016 16:51:01 GMT -5
At the mention of Jin, he nodded. "Yeah, he did inspire me. I was an only child, but I always wanted another child. My mother did too, but I know having another child terrified her." They were at war, no one really had much and the threat of the fire nation, especially in their area where water was plentiful and there was plenty of field was always a threat. They had killed farmers by the dozens and brought new ones in from other areas, some of which had volunteered and were treated like royalty. Jet hated those people.
"The forest isn't creepy, it's just old." He said, as if that was obvious. "Many of the forests here are old." The bleeding stopped soon enough, but somehow, he liked the idea of being able to tease her. In the time he had known her, it appeared that she was good with most things. Sure, she was a fire bender, she was uneducated and illogical, but she tried to learn where she could and she seemed to act genuine around them. She had an eagerness he had never seen in a fire bender before. She actually wanted to learn something about people other than herself. Then again, that may be because she really and truly had no other choice. He was trying to see this more positively, however.
He wasn't good at thinking positively, but practice, right? IN either case, he led her to where he had set up a station to fix, sharpen, and smooth his weapons. It was mostly water and a wet stone, but he also had a cloth to wipe away the excess. He started to very slowly show her what to do with the unsharpened blade. What he was doing, however, wasn't just about making the blade sharp. He was also cleaning it and making sure it was new. The unpolished blade looked dull, uneven, and worn. It looked dated and old. The sharpened one looked as if it had just been forged and sold. If there was one thing Jet did exceptionally well, it was taking the time to do something right and ensure that it was ideal.
And as he taught her, he had her sit beside him, and then let her sharpen the blade, with her hands over his own. "IT's harder than a regular blade." He stated. "It's curved. A normal sword sharpens easily, but a blade like this can be broken or cracked at the inside rounded edge. If that happens, it's all over. The blade will break." And so, he started to sharpen it with her, just because he didn't want her only mistake to be one that could cost all of them their lives.
"Hm? Oh, maybe later tonight. I don't know how you feel about traveling in the dark. I don't mind it, but I'd rather leave a few hours before dark, get some distance, sleep a good while in the woods and then be moving at first light like before." He moved his hand from holding hers to her wrist so he could watch her sharpen the blade without guiding her as much. "Yeah, we're within about two days now. This forrest turns into the forrest of Jet in that time. The trees are larger there, much taller than these because the forest is older. It's not really mine, it's where I established the freedom fighters. It was named for me by fire nation inhabitants of Gaipan. They knew I was in there, but they didn't know where. The forest is fifteen miles wide."
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Post by belated valentine on Jan 9, 2016 21:18:04 GMT -5
As he talked about Jin, Suyin listened. "I can see why," she replied. "I'm an only child too, but for different reasons obviously." Talking about her mom didn't really bother her because she had never actually met the woman. There were paintings around the house of her, this mystery woman whose life ended when hers began. She was all her father ever painted at times.
She remembered being very young, staring at the family pictures done over the course of many years. Suddenly her mother disappeared from them and in her place there she was. It always made her feel as if she'd stolen something from them, and she always wondered if they felt the same too. Her family said that she resembled her mother quite a bit, but it was always a solemn remark, as if it upset them. She didn't know why, but when she was small she often stood on a stool in the bathroom, squishing and poking at her face. Perhaps, inwardly, she was hoping that maybe she could change her features enough to be another person.
As Jet held her hand against the blade, teaching her how to sharpen it, she watched and listened as he talked. She let him guide her hand for the most part, as she didn't really want to be responsible for breaking the weapon. At least maybe in the future she could make herself useful if she got practice doing this. As, at the moment, she felt pretty useless. Running and needing protection, her father would be so disappointed.
He always told her to be alive and put herself in everything she did, but to do so with caution as well.
When you light a fire, that's a part of you. You leave a part of yourself there and you can't take it back. Remember this when you set something on fire, he had said once when she was practicing outside and accidentally set the patio table on fire. Back then, she just thought he'd said it to keep her out of trouble, but as she grew it began to dawn on her that the words ran deeper than that. There was something in her father's voice that had told her he'd learned the meaning of those words the hard way.
"I don't mind it either," she responded, making sure to keep her eyes on the sword. She smiled a little. "Still, technically it was named after you so it's your forest. Well, yours and your freedom fighter's," she corrected.
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Post by Fateful on Jan 10, 2016 3:02:55 GMT -5
Jet went through the motions with Suyin. Sharpen, sharpen, sharpen, dip in water. Sharpen, sharpen, sharpen, dip in water. Wipe with a rag. Sharpen more. Wet more. Sharpen. Wipe with rag. At the end of the rather length process, he wiped the blade off himself and examined it closely. "Very nice." He stated. He then quickly sharpened the two side knives on both blades.
"I used that forest for them." HE said with a smile. "I took over and used that forest as a base to give all of us a better life. The forest of Jet is named after me, but I made it for them." He insisted. A grin on his face, he looked happy to say something like that.
Once it was all set, he admired them in the light of the sun. "Do you want breakfast?" He dumped some of the water on his hands to rinse off excess from the whetstone and rag. He grabbed the bag he brought and offered her a large, pink apple with variations in color. "They're sweet." He stated, pulling out a green one and taking a bite of it for himself. He leaned against a tree and looked to the sky. "Want to see the sun?" He glanced toward her curiously.
When she said yes, he stood up and offered him her apple. "Hold that please." He picked up his swords and spread his legs into a wide stance. He looked at a tree branch above them, then jumped, using one sword to hook into the tree, the other wrapped around her waist. He twisted his body and flexed his muscles to rotate them up. Once they were high enough, he pulled them up onto the branch and did the same thing two more times until they were high in the three. The whole process only took a few minutes.
"Thanks." He took the apple from her and took another bite. They were standing in a high sequoia tree, on an open branch that looked out at the horizon where the sun rose. An explosion of color radiated in all directions around them as he munched on his apple. There was silence and peacefulness in the trees. A slight breeze came by and cooled the sweat on her neck.
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Post by belated valentine on Jan 11, 2016 2:04:52 GMT -5
She watched him move her hands and she tried to follow the pattern. It took a fairly long time but eventually they finished and she looked at him curiously. When he approved it, she gave a nod, watching him sharpen the other blades. The sun was slowly rising and he seemed to notice, because he soon stood up and asked her if she wanted to watch the sun. She gave a nod, walking over to him when he opened the bag. She held her hand out for the apple.
"You seem very proud of that, but I get why," she said, in response, a small smile on her face. When he asked for her to hold his apple, she did. Suyin took a small bite out of it, enjoying the tartness of the green apple in comparison with her sweet one. Both were delicious. She handed him the apple back after he swung them up onto the tree, which slightly terrified her considering the just sharpened blade against her waist.
The view from up top was nice though. They could see the sky perfectly and the sun was just beginning to rise. She bit into her apple, the sweetness a delight. It was perfectly ripe. "Want a bite?" she asked, holding it out toward him as an offering since she'd stolen some of his earlier. She kept her eyes on the sunrise however, enjoying the colors that it painted across the sky. In her free hand, she produced a small fire and watched as it. It was always interesting to see how the sun affected her fire bending. The flame strengthened as the sun rose.
"So, tell me because I'm curious. How did you meet the Avatar and his friends anyway? Aside from hitting on Katara." Yeah, Katara had told her that part and she found it really funny considering how opposite they were. Katara was generally nice - though sometimes not - and he was, well, not as. Except for on occasion, like lately he was being nice to her.
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Post by Fateful on Jan 11, 2016 19:42:44 GMT -5
"I'm very proud of that."
As they watched the sunrise, Jet stared out over the horizon at the landscape of colors that changed in the sky. This time, as she lit the flames, he didn't react like he had before. He stood and looked out at the sun as it blazed before them. While he could feel the heat of her fire, he didn't feel the need to look at it now. She wouldn't burn him with it. It would be counter productive for her to do something like that.
When offered a bite, he paused for a moment and looked at the apple. Then he shrugged and took a bite of her apple. It was sweet and juicer than he though it would be. He wiped the juice off his chin with his wrist. "Thanks."
The fire was bright and he smiled, somewhat glad to see how beautiful it was. This was the first time he had ever seen a fire benders fire as beautiful. Fire, alone, without being created by a person was beautiful to him, but this... it wasn't the same, but it didn't make him anxious. he didn't want to fight.
When she asked about Katara, he sighed slightly. "I needed her." He finally said. "It's a long story, but I suppose now is a better way for you to learn why I left." He lowered himself to sit on the branch. "I made a deal with the leader of Gaipan. I would sabotage and steal fire nation supplies. In exchange, I would bring his people food, water, the supplies I stole. In exchange, I would be able to keep some of the supplies and he wouldn't let them find me. He would help protect us and protect my freedom fighters if they got captured." He explained. "After an altercation with one of the soldiers, he asked that I got rid of them from the entire village." He bit his lip. "He wanted me to kill all the soldiers. We came up with the idea that I would flood the valley, only problem was that it would take months for the rains to come." Jet looked out at the sky.
"Then a water bender and the avatar showed up and was captured by the same fire benders who threatened to kill us all. It wasn't even a choice. Katara... is easy to manipulate. She wanted affection and attention. It was easy to see. I used her to have her fill behind the dam. I stole blasting jelly from the fire nation. They used Gaipan to make bombs and explosives. Sokka found out that I planned to flood the valley. The deal was that the earth kingdom inhabitants wouldn't be in the village when I flooded the basin. Sokka went down there and alerted the soldiers to what happened. After that, the fire nation started to burn houses in the village and publicly executed three men who they thought were helping me. They weren't. I left the freedom fighters to protect the village and the other freedom fighters. I appointed Smellerbee as my replacement, but she punched me when I tried to leave without her and yelled, saying that we started them together, we would leave them together. It was sad, but also one of the most supportive things I've ever experienced. Smellerbee came with me and I let her choose her own replacement. I've done many things I'm not proud of. If I had succeeded, I'd have a little more than fifty fire nation soldiers."
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Post by belated valentine on Jan 12, 2016 21:41:59 GMT -5
Suyin slowly ate her apple, listening to his story as she watched the sun. "Gaipan.." she contemplated. "I think I heard the name before. At one point it made the news in the Fire Nation. But of course the story was probably different in the Fire Nation than the one in the Earth Kingdom," she said, looking over at him. There was a small smile on her face when he talked about Smellerbee. Suyin really liked her. She had been teaching her about the other side of the world, what the other Nations were going through when the war happened.
It sort of hurt to see the truth behind the things her nation had done, but she felt if she didn't learn, then she would continue to be naive forever. Things were different now. There was a new firelord and he was educating the nation about what really happened. For the most part, a lot of the Fire Nation citizens had been blinded by lies from the previous firelord's and they honestly believed that the things happening were good. Now, they were beginning to see the truth.
"Smellerbee seems like a good friend...Longshot too. No offense, don't take it the wrong way - but you kind of seem to the be the type that gets a little ahead of yourself sometime. The two of them keep you grounded," she said, swinging her legs slightly as she sat on the branch. The sun was almost completely up in the sky now, the colors dulling down to a nice, serene blue.
"I wonder if we'll run into that fortune teller lady again, she's kinda scary," she wondered.
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Post by Fateful on Jan 12, 2016 22:51:08 GMT -5
Jet finished eating the entire apple, core and all, leaving just the steam between his lips and spit it out. "You've heard of Gaipan?" He questioned. "Do you want to tell me the story you were told if you remember, by any chance?" He asked, curious. It wasn't everyday you got to hear both sides of a story you partially authored. The stories wouldn't be the same of course, and he was sure that if he asked the parents of the young men that were tortured, they would feel quite differently about it as well. Still, he couldn't change what he had done, just try to make it better for the people there and around where he lived.
A characteristic grin spread across his face and he nodded. "Yeah, I'm not offended. I've always struggled with getting ahead of myself. Even when I saved you from drowning, I did it mainly because I felt compelled to do it. I don't always think things through, so it can get me into trouble. I'm better at it now, but it's a constant struggle. Smellerbee was the first person I found, before everything started. I don't think the freedom fighters would exist without her. She helped found it as much as I did. She's an amazing person. I don't know what I'd do without her."
Biyu was mentioned and he glanced to her. "We will likely see her, but I don't think she'll try to read us again." He explained. "That skill is fairly common in the earth kingdom, palm and fortune reading. Not many are legitimate, but when you find one who is, they can really shake you."
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Post by belated valentine on Jan 12, 2016 23:31:57 GMT -5
"I don't think you'd like the story we heard," she replied, a bit embarrassed. She was afraid that he would get angry. "The stories they told us bettered the image of the Fire Nation - so you can imagine how the story of Gaipan was like. I don't really remember exactly how it went. My father and another citizen were talking about it and I overheard. They said that the Fire Nation colony had been terrorized by a group of Earth Kingdom rebels and flushed from the village," she said slowly, watching his reaction. She looked away. "I don't really know what about the war was real and what was propaganda that Firel-..that Ozai put out."
Suyin laughed lightly when he continued on about Smellerbee. "So, basically, the credit is all hers huh? I had the feeling," she joked. It honestly wouldn't surprise her if Smellerbee handled all the difficult tasks that came with handling large groups of people.
"It kind of freaks me out, that she knows so much by just touching people. How can people live knowing that much about the future. I would be afraid to do anything."
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